Scientists link severe Amazon forest drought to death of fish, rare river dolphins
The carcasses of 120 river dolphins have been found floating on a tributary of the Amazon River which has been plagued by severe droughts and heat in the past weeks.
As reported by Reuters, the lower levels of rivers have heated up to intolerable temperatures for dolphins during the severe drought, researchers believe.
The Amazon river dolphins, many of a striking pink color, are unique freshwater species found only in the rivers of South America and are one of a handful of freshwater dolphin species left in the world. Slow reproductive cycles make their populations especially vulnerable to threats.
Biologists and other experts have been conducting autopsies on October 2 to determine the cause of death. While they cannot point to the drought and heat with total certainty, the fact remains that the water reached 39 degrees Celsius, 10 degrees above the average for this season. Scientists are trying to rule out other causes such as bacterial infection.
The Amazon rainforest has been experiencing severe draughts in the past weeks, which led to water levels dropping and thousands of fish dying due to a lack of oxygen in the water. This is leading to water supplies getting contaminated, creating problems for thousands of residents, as reported by the science platform Phys.Org.
The intense drought is believed to have been caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon, which inhibits the formation of rain clouds, according to the civil defence authority.